BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – Today, Warren County Public School students began their second day of the new school year. With the start of the new school year, comes the importance of safety within the schools.
The Warren County Sheriff’s Office is helping to provide that sense of safety by giving each campus at least one school resource officer.
Since 2019, Warren County Public Schools’ student enrollment has increased by over 600 students. That equates to nearly $3M in additional funding. With this increase comes the need for more safety resources and funding.
There are currently 18 SROs at schools in Warren County. Brett Hightower, the Sheriff of Warren County, said that SROs are in high demand in counties that have continued to grow in population over the last few years.
”If you look at the Commonwealth, out of 120 counties, there are about 10 of those counties that are growing. Fortunately, Warren County is one of them,” Hightower said. “Economically, a lot of activity going on here and people moving in here all the time. That is a really positive thing. That brings economic development and additional money to a lot of our programs.”
Hightower also mentioned that while the sheriff’s office does not mind providing funding for SROs, additional funding from the state would benefit everyone as a whole.
”You have to divert funds specifically that might have been marked for something else into the SRO program. We are able to do that, but if we get additional funding from the state, then it would help everybody meet those objectives and goals,” Hightower said.
Between each SRO in Warren County, there is a combined 400-plus years of experience in law enforcement.
Copyright 2023 WBKO. All rights reserved.
Click Here For The Original Source.
